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Doctor Dan Thompson helps a pilgrim with her knee abrasion. |
Today we
wrapped up our eye-opening and challenging two-week commitment to the pellegrini—pilgrims—on
the Via Francigena, which is a pilgrimage that extends from Canterbury to Rome. Most pellegrini only walk a portion of the trail. Some come back year after year to walk different sections. The overall project of our group, which involved two weeks in May and
four weeks in September, is also ending, although the Christian group that sponsored it, Cru (Agape
Italia is the Italian counterpart), will continue the outreach in various other
ways. Lucy and I became involved when we reestablished contact last year with
an old friend from our university days, Don Mansfield. We became interested in
this outreach when we learned that Cru is hoping to purchase a beautiful convent
near our Montecarlo home to be a stopping point for pellegrini. I wrote a blog
about this in 2024: The
Villa di Vorno.
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Not everyone we met was walking the Via Francigena. Lucy and I had a great talk with Andrew, an immigrant from Nigeria. We prayed together that he would find a steady job. |
Since fund-raising
for the convent is still in progress, Cru decided to do a separate but related
outreach to pilgrims during the 2025 Catholic Jubilee. Themed “Pilgrims of
Hope,” the Jubilee is described as “an extraordinary year of spiritual
renewal and grace, running from December 24, 2024, to January 6, 2026,
(featuring) the opening of the Holy Doors at Rome’s papal basilicas,
encouraging pilgrimage, acts of mercy, and hope in a world facing challenges
like war and climate change.” The church and Italian tourist agencies predicted
a huge influx of people making the trek to Rome. Those hiking at least 100 kilometers
in the last section before Rome are eligible to receive a Testimonium, a certificate
from the church verifying their successful completion of the pilgrimage and
making them eligible for what the church calls a “plenary indulgence.”
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Some of our conversations were assisted by translation apps. Our leader Don is on the right. |
The concept
of the 2025 Cru outreach was to meet pilgrims, hear their stories and provide
assistance in whatever ways possible. There were 10 of us working together
these last two weeks, and we found that most hikers were eager to meet fellow
pilgrims from other countries. As we shared our basic stories and adventures
along the trail, a common question was “Why are you hiking the Via Francigena?”
Many said the best part was meeting people and sharing experiences. For those
pilgrims who said they were hiking for “spiritual reasons,” we asked them to tell
us what they had found, which naturally led to us doing the same, allowing us
to share our faith in a natural way. Sometimes we prayed with those who were
hurting, either spiritually or physically. We had a family doctor on our team
who proved to be very useful for several hikers.
We met
pilgrims in a variety of ways. We had a punto ristoro in a park in the
woods, where we provided water, wine and snacks, and we would invite hikers to
refresh themselves at our picnic table and chat. About half would stop. Other
times, we would hike sections of the trail and converse with pilgrims as we
walked. We also met many pilgrims in coffee shops in the cities.
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Don serves up vino and snacks at our punto ristoro near Vetralla. |
Lucy and I
are both introverts, and while we enjoy reaching out and meeting strangers, for
us it requires discipline and effort to do this day after day. Fortunately, the
Cru leaders encouraged us to take time to recharge; we often were only on the
trail or in parks and coffee shops for four or five hours per day.
By the end
of the project, Don told me that adding together the two weeks in May and the
four weeks in September that Cru teams had been working in Lazio, they had conversations
with some 500 people from 31 nations, speaking in six different languages.
“God is
working in European hearts,” Don said. “People who are open to God tend to
gather in places like the Via Francigina and the Camino in Spain, and I think
we’ve seen that. We set up a stress-free environment for conversations, and we
set a tone where we let God do what He’s going to do.”
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I walk with a pilgrim entering the centro storico of ancient Capranica. |
One thing
that surprised Don was the relative dearth of pilgrims, as the Catholic Church
and various tourism sources predicted that the trail would be awash in hikers
this year, leading him to believe that we might experience up to 1,000 hikers
passing by daily. The numbers, instead, ranged from around 10 to 100. We also
had to be sensitive to their schedules, as many had accommodation check-in or
finding meals on their minds, so our conversations at times had to be cut
short.
An
additional benefit of the project was the wealth of tips received that will aid
in the management of the convent in Vorno. Having a good website where online
reservations can be made was at the top of the list, but perhaps equally
important was having a place to wash and dry clothes. Numerous pilgrims said
that their first thought upon checking in was how to wash clothes quickly so
they could possibly be dry by the morning. I’ll be typing up a more complete
list of suggestions to pass along to the leaders of the convent.
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A group of pellegrini. Quite likely, many of these pilgrims simply met up while hiking and decided to walk together for a day or two. |
As I hiked
portions of the trail, I came to understand the appeal of going on a
pilgrimage. We saw new portions of the spectacular world God has created. We
pushed our bodies up steep slopes, looking within to find strength to continue.
We found time both alone and with friends to pray and meditate. We shared
stories and new points of view with fellow pilgrims, and we met dozens of
Italian residents who made us feel welcome in their little communities. Rick
Steves has written much about the benefits of travel, and I’ll include a
lengthy quote from him to end this blog entry, but I’ll add that by combining a
pilgrimage with travel probably at least doubles the results that Rick speaks
of:
“Globe-trotting
destroys ethnocentricity. It helps you understand and appreciate different
cultures. Thoughtful travel engages you with the world—more important than ever
these days. Travel changes people. It broadens perspectives and teaches new
ways to measure quality of life. Rather than fear the diversity on this planet,
travelers celebrate it. Many travelers toss aside their hometown blinders.
Their prized souvenirs are the strands of different cultures they decide to
knit into their own character.”
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The team for the final two weeks (minus Lucy), enjoying one of our days off and dining on the shores of Lago di Bolsena. It was an amazing group of loving and committed forever friends. |
What an amazing adventure for you and Lucy. Many memories and friends made. Beautiful life.
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